雙語 ● Information Please 在別的世界里歌唱
Information Please 在別的世界里歌唱
◎ Paul Villard
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished, old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother used to talk to it. Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. “Information Please” could supply anybody’s number and the correct time.
當我年幼的時候，父親是我們社區(qū)里第一個為家里裝上電話的人。我還記得那個固定在墻上、擦得锃亮的舊式電話機，閃閃發(fā)亮的聽筒掛在電話盒旁邊。那時我太小，還夠不著電話，倒是常常在母親拿起它講話時，在一旁聽得入迷。后來，我發(fā)現(xiàn)就在這只神奇的盒子里，住著一個了不起的人，她的名字是“櫻芙美心·葡麗絲”，而且她簡直無所不知。“櫻芙美心·葡麗絲”能答出任何人的電話號碼，報出正確的時間。
My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway.
我第一次與這“瓶中妖”的接觸，是在媽媽去拜訪一位鄰居的那一天。我自己在地下室的工具凳上玩的時候，錘子砸到了我的手指頭。當時痛極了，但看起來似乎沒任何理由哭泣，因為家里除我之外別無他人，沒有人會同情我。我吮吸著疼得鉆心的指頭，在房間里走來走去，最后來到了樓梯口。
The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the foot stool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. “Information Please,” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, “Information.”
電話！我快步?jīng)_向放在客廳的腳凳，把它拖到了樓梯口。爬上腳凳，摘下了聽筒，我將聽筒貼近我的耳邊?！皺衍矫佬摹て消惤z，”我對準頭上方的送話口說道。聽筒里傳來一兩聲嘟嘟聲后，我的耳畔響起了一個清脆的聲音?！皺衍矫佬?。”
“I hurt my finger...” I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.
“我弄傷了手指……”我朝著話筒哭泣道，眼淚肆無忌憚地洶涌而出，我終于有了一個觀眾。
“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.
“媽媽不在家嗎？”她問。
“Nobody’s home but me,” I blubbered.
“沒人在家，只有我一個人！”我哭得更傷心了。
“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.
“流血了嗎？”那個聲音又說道。
“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”
“沒有，”我回答?！板N子砸到了我的手指頭，好疼??！”
“Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. “Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger.” said the voice.
“你能打開冰箱嗎？”她問。我說可以。“那取出一小塊冰來，然后敷在手指頭上?！蹦莻€聲音又說。
After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts. Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called “Information Please” and told her the sad story. She listened, then said the usual things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was unconsoled. I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?” She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better.
在那之后，不管有什么事，我都給“櫻芙美心·葡麗絲”打電話。我問她地理，她就告訴我費城在哪里。她幫我補習(xí)數(shù)學(xué)。她告訴我，前天我在公園捉住的那只寵物花栗鼠想吃水果或堅果。后來，有一次我們的寵物金絲雀“皮蒂”死了。我又一次撥通了“櫻芙美心·葡麗絲”，告訴她這個傷心的消息。她靜靜地聽著，然后說了些大人常常安慰小孩子的話。但是，我并沒得到寬慰。我問她：“為什么鳥兒唱歌那么好聽，還把歡樂帶給所有的家庭，可是死的時候卻變成了蜷在籠底的一堆羽毛？”她一定感覺到了我深深的悲傷，因為她輕聲說道：“保羅，一定要記住，它們還可以在別的世界里歌唱！”不知為什么，我感覺好多了。
Another day I was on the telephone. “Information Please.”
一天，我再次來到了電話旁。“櫻芙美心·葡麗絲?！?
“Information.” said the now familiar voice.
“櫻芙美心，”耳邊傳來了熟悉的聲音。
“How do you spell fix?” I asked.
我問，“Fix怎么拼寫？”
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much. “Information Please” belonged in that old wooden box back home and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity, I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
這一切發(fā)生在太平洋西北部的一個小鎮(zhèn)上。當我9歲的時候，我們?nèi)野徇w到了波士頓。我特別想念我的朋友?！皺衍矫佬摹て消惤z”永遠屬于老家的那個老式木盒子，不知為什么，我從沒有想過去試試放在客廳桌上那個高高的、閃亮的新電話。當我到了十多歲的時候，那童年記憶的對話也從未從我的腦海中逝去。常常在我感到疑慮與困惑時，我會回想起那時擁有的那種寧靜的安全感。我感激她在那個小男孩身上付出的時間，感激她的耐心、理解和善良。
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now.
幾年后，在我奔赴西部去上大學(xué)的路上，我的飛機在西雅圖降落。我有半小時的轉(zhuǎn)機時間。我給住在那里的姐姐打了約15分鐘的電話。
Then, without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information please.”
然后，還沒有意識到自己在做什么，我就撥通了家鄉(xiāng)小鎮(zhèn)的接線員，說：“櫻芙美心·葡麗絲。”
Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.
奇跡般地，我又聽到了那清脆而溫柔的無比熟悉的聲音。
“Information.”
“櫻芙美心。”
I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying, “Could you please tell me how to spell fix?”
我本來并沒打算這么做，但是我聽見自己說：“你能告訴我怎么拼寫fix嗎？”
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, “I guess your finger must have healed by now.”
一陣長時間的沉寂。接下來是一個輕言細語的回答：“我猜你的小手指頭現(xiàn)在一定痊愈了?！?
I laughed, “So it’s really still you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time.”
我笑了，“所以，還真的是你！”我說，“你知不知道，在那個時候，你對我有多么重要?！?
“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.”
“我想，”她說，“你是否知道你的電話對我意味著什么。我沒有孩子，所以常常期盼著你的電話?！?
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
我告訴她，這些年我一直很想念她。我問她我再回來看姐姐時，是否還能打電話給她。
“Please do,” she said. “Just ask for Sally.”
她欣然許諾：“當然啦！找薩莉就行！”
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, “Information.”
三個月后，我再次回到西雅圖。接電話的是一個不同的聲音，“櫻芙美心?！?
I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said.
我說我要找薩莉。她問：“你是她的朋友嗎？”
“Yes, a very old friend.” I answered.
“是的，很熟悉的老朋友。”我說。
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.”
“我很抱歉要告訴你，”她說，“薩莉病了好長時間了，所以過去幾年來她一直做兼職。五個星期前她去世了?！?
Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Is your name Paul?”
在我就要掛斷電話前，她說：“等一等，你是不是叫保羅？”
“Yes.”
“是。”
“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called. Let me read it to you.” The note said, “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”
“對了，薩莉給你留了一張便條，她怕你萬一打電話來。我讀給你聽?！北銞l上寫著，“告訴他，我依然會說，還可以在別的世界里歌唱。他知道我的意思?！?
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
我謝過她之后，掛上了電話。我明白薩莉的意思。
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today?
永遠不要低估你給別人留下的印象。今天你又走進了誰的生活？
